Cyber Enhanced Canine

Index

Search and rescue (SAR) dogs perform well in finding victims within 72h in disaster sites. The SAR dogs can tell us the location of victims by continuous barks. However, it is not sufficient for triage, which requires not only the location but also the victims' number, their states, and circumstance. Handlers have to memorize the dogs' activities and covey the information to other staff by verbal communication and hand-written memorandum. In this research, we propose a method of recording and visualizing the SAR dogs' activities by using robot technologies. These data can prove the efficiency of the SAR dogs' investigation.

Wearable Devices for Recording SAR Dogs

We developed recording suits for large and middle size (15-30kg) dogs. They are so light (less than 10% of the dogs' weight) that the SAR dogs can wear over an hour. The suits were equipped with GPS, camera, and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Handlers can confirm the video streams and dogs' positions by remote devices.

Evaluation with Japan Rescue Dog Association (JRDA)

The SAR dogs' recording suits have been evaluated in collaboration with Japan Rescue Dog Association (JRDA). The suits' weight and camera position were decided from the discussion with JRDA.

Trajectory Estimation Using Dogs’ Gait

GPS often fail to measure SAR dog’s trajectory near buildings and in forests. Therefore, sensor fusion technique is used to estimate continuous trajectory. The continuous trajectory can be estimated by using characteristics of dog's gaits. Extended kalman filter was used for fusion of GPS and IMU data based on the gaits.

* Naoki Sakaguhi, Kazunori Ohno, Eijiro Takeuchi, Satoshi Tadokoro, "Precise Velocity Estimation for Dog using Its Gait", The 9th International Conference on Field and Service Robotics, 2013.